WASHINGTON - The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, today hailed the introduction of the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act (DPBO) in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. The bill, sponsored by Reps. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) in the House and Sens. Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) and Susan Collins (R-ME) in the Senate, would provide benefits for same-sex domestic partners of federal civilian employees on the same basis as spousal benefits. These benefits would include participation in applicable retirement programs, life and health insurance benefits, and family and medical leave.

"This bill embodies the simple principle that equal work deserves equal pay,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “Thousands of LGBT people serve our country every day as federal civil servants, yet their families cannot receive the same important benefits that their straight coworkers’ do. This is not simply a matter of fairness; it is also a way to ensure that the federal government recruits and retains the best and the brightest. Last Congress, both House and Senate committees recognized those facts and reported out this legislation. It’s time for Congress to finish the job.”

Currently, fifty-nine percent of Fortune 500 companies provide domestic partner benefits to their employees. Many of America's leading companies, including defense giant Raytheon, IBM, Microsoft, Shell Oil, Walt Disney, Owens Corning, Citigroup, Whirlpool, Time Warner, and United and American Airlines offer these benefits. In addition, twenty-four states, the District of Columbia, and more than 100 local governments offer their public employees these benefits.

The Human Rights Campaign is America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

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To contact HRC please visit our contact us page. If you are a member of the media, you can reach our press office at: (202) 572-8968 or email press@hrc.org.

5 Things to Know about LGBT Issues

1. There are roughly 9 million LGBT people in the US and more than 650,000 same-sex couples.

2. 19% of same-sex couples are raising children according to the US Census Bureau's 2011 American Community Survey.

3. There is no federal law that consistently protects LGBT individuals from employment discrimination; there are no state laws in 29 states that explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, and in 32 states that do so based on gender identity.

4. More than 100 anti-LGBT bills have been filed in 29 state legislatures.

5. Marriage equality became the law of the land in June 2015 after the Supreme Court of the United States found bans on same-sex marriage to be unconstitutional-and that the fundamenal right to marriage is a fundamental right for all.